Loveletter
by OnnaMusha
Summary: This kind of feelings was new to the bugboy. What could he do to express his fondness to the girl he loved? Chapter 5 updated!
1. Vacillation of the Bug Boy

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto~  
>AN: Randomness detected, loveletter taken from my homework (yeah seriously, the teacher asked us to make a love letter).**

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><strong>It was very early in the morning. The sky was still dark, and the whole village was still sleeping in peace. Cold breeze of the night bursting wildly through one open window of a large residential house of one of the famous and strong clan in the village, blowing its light-grey curtains inwards.

A teenage boy, the owner of the room of course, was still awake, deep in his thoughts. Something was bothering him. It's been hours since he sat there. He rested his head to the pillow. His hands stretched, searching for his blanket. Quite a trouble finding it without looking, he thought. His eyes widened and he took a sigh of relief as his hands finally touched the soft texture of his brown furry blanket.

He closed his eyes, trying to sleep, but his mind kept preventing his body to rest. _I'm tired! _He screamed silently. _Maybe the room is too cold… _Hesitantly he glided towards his window to shut it. Thousands of white dots were on the sky. _Wait… _The bug boy realized that he hasn't taken his sunglasses off yet. With the pair of dark lenses removed from his sight now he could see the silvery stars scattered among the dark sky. Masterpiece of the nature. His iris glistened at the sight of the countless diamonds above him. Their presence had always calmed him in his sleepless nights.

_Hinata_

Her name, the first thing came out from his mind. It has been approximately six months since he had joined the glorious Team 8. This kind of feelings was new for him. Falling in love with her… Is it true? He never thought even once about love before. Neither a thought had ever appeared in his mind, a thought of he will fall in love someday. A strike of confusion attacked his head. For so long he had always want to let out his feelings, to tell Hinata how much he loved her. But Shino Aburame, the bug boy Team 8 known, had always been professional, rarely showed any expression of his emotions to his comrades, always failed to express his feelings in words. All he could do was only watching her from behind, silently assisting her if she needed help.

The Aburame heir released a sigh of frustration. _What should I do?_ He thought. He randomly rummaged a drawer of his oak wood desk just beside the window. Suddenly his mind was filled with ideas when his fingers ran through a piece of parchment. Quickly he prepared his caligraphic pen and ink.

_My dearest Hinata,_

_Six months ago. I still remember that time, our first meeting as a team. I didn't feel anything at first. But the more I think of you, the harder for you to leave my mind. I can't help but missing you every night, even though I knew I'm just going to meet you again in the morning. Thinking of your face and voice, thinking of being with you made me go crazy. My heart was full of flowers, and butterflies danced in my stomach every time you talk to me. _

_I couldn't believe how much I missed you. My nights are sleepless, and I sleep just to dream of you. Every time I see you, my head started spinning round and round, and I lost my words I was going to say. I have never felt anything like this before. I wish I have said this earlier, but you're the love of my life. There has never been any girl in my life as special as you. My life is just not complete without you. I just want you to know that I love you from the bottom of my heart. You have become an important part of my life, and every separation gives an endless heartache._

_Hinata, do you feel the same? You know I would do anything, anything just to be with you. I love you, Hinata, I promise I will always protect you, and I will always be there for you. Will you be my girlfriend?_

_Your sincerely,  
>Shino Aburame<em>

Shino frowned as he wrote his own name as the last sentence. He couldn't believe what he had written. This seems too… Cheesy for him. Pretty unusual. Will she read it? What if she thought this was a joke? What will be her response?

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**TBC **


	2. Jealousy?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I owned it I wouldn't write a fanfiction here!  
>AN: Sorry it took me a long time to update, school is getting tougher lately T_T  
>Thanks LovelyRosesFly, Golden Mist Fox, and dragonick711 for reviewing!<strong>

**Chapter 2: Jealousy?**

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Minute by minute pass. The clock kept rolling around and so did his body trying to adjust a perfect position._ Argh, why couldn't I fall asleep? _ He thought quietly. His squinty hazel eyes seemed to have a pair of pillars preventing his eyelids from closing, like he had just drank a nice cup of warm espresso. Espresso had always helped him to stay awake all night during rough examination weeks, where studying only during the day means fail (unless you're that lazy-ass pineapple boy), but this was different. The body was all tired and in an urgent need of energy restorement but somehow his mind refused to rest. His body was there, laying on his blue bed but his mind wandered aimlessly in a circle.

_Come on, Shino. You have never been like this before. You are the son of the Pride of Aburame Clan _(title given to Shibi Aburame, his father)_, what should you fear? _He thought, giving suggestion to himself to build his confidence while he knew his status couldn't help him in this situation at all.

He sighed after tiring himself with thoughts. _She'll read it, alright. And she'll accept it._

xXx

The sun had already risen from the east horizon, less than a half way to the middle when its gentle ray reflected from the window to the bug boy's eyes, awakened him from his sleep. He grumbled silently and peek a glance to a wooden clock hanging on the wall just across him. _Still early…_ He thought. It was still 7.00am, enough time to prepare himself for the training and walk to the training field without rushing. He then took a quick shower, get dressed in his usual outfit- dark blue shirt inside his turquoise jacket with high upturned collar, dark brown pants and of course, his trademark round sunglasses.

The sound of the other clansmen footsteps acompanied him as he strolled outside his bedroom in the second story, right located at the left side of his father Shibi Aburame's bedroom. Almost everybody have awake, some even started their day earlier than the others. He could see their everyday activities from the balcony right in front of him which gave him the view of the main part of the clan resident's first level.

His feet took their steps down the stairs, and his eyes were carefully observing various scrolls containing caligraphic characters hung decoratively on the wall when a deep man's voice broke his concentration.

"Whoa, watch where you're going, boy!" He said to the almost-bumping-at-him Shino. Shino gasped quietly. He found himself looking at an unclear view of hazel brown eyes – just like his, obscured by a sea-green sunglasses. His upturned collar of his light-tan jacket was covering almost half of his lips.

"Muta?" Shino asked, his head leaned backward slightly.

"Heh," The young man he called Muta let a small grin appeared on his face, before his expression turned straight, a remarkable trait of Aburame clan members. "Breakfast is ready. Where are you going?" He asked. Wheter is it just to be polite, or he really wanted to know was always a question. His curiosity was always almost perfectly hidden behind his flat tone.

"Training," the spiky haired boy answered shortly. "I'll eat later," A single nod was Muta's last response before he continued his way upstairs.

A bit of morning chill was still in the air, even though the thin layers of mist which travelled to the ground at dawn have already ceased. The bug boy's eyes observed the view in front of him as his feet took him to the training field just outside the Leaf Village. A few kids from the Academy were rushing their ways. _The Academy had always started the classes early,_ he thought. The village has just started its new day. It was getting busier in just a few minutes.

"Morning," he greeted the masked gatekeeper nodding at him as he passed by the large entrance gate of the village. He continued to walk his way down. A few more steps and he finally arrived at the path to the training field. The path he was crossing was surrounded by trees on his left and right, forming a beautiful natural tunnel.

His pace was getting slower. He let go a sigh of relief when his fingers felt the soft texture of the letter he wrote last night. _Is it… Weird? _His mind began to revise what he had written in the letter. To get the highest grade for essays and theories was familiar for him. Never he had thought about his writings seriously. _But THIS? _His mind became more and more unsure as three large wooden poles, trademark of the place started to be visible before his eyes.

Faintly, his ears started to catch two sources of voices he was too familiar with. A laughter, he could hear both of them has he was getting closer.

"… What? You've gotta be kidding!" A loud and cheerful boy's voice spoke. Four sharp teeth resembling a wolf's fangs were revealed as he chuckled. His conversation partner didn't say a word, she just replied him with a quiet shy laugh. But from her expression he could tell that she was enjoying the conversation as well. A bit of blush was sprouted from her rosy cheeks. _I've never thought about this much, but Kiba and Hinata… They're really close aren't they? _His inner voice suddenly spoke.

He cleared his throat as he had approached their location – sitting in front of the poles – close enough. "Good morning,"

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**A cliffhanger! :D  
>Whoa sorry if this is too short. I'll write more as soon as I got time! Thanks for reading, RnR please? :3<strong>


	3. Distraction

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Naruto. If I own Naruto I would probably bring Itachi back to life, get Shino and Hinata to be couples, kill Sakura, and several other things that won't make sense to the plot.  
>AN: Waah sorry for not updating for so long! I haven't got any time at all to update since the evil torture camp called School gave us too many assignments and quizzes! Forgive meee D:**

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><p>"Good morning, the bug boy said flatly. His face tensed a bit as he realized that they were sitting a little bit too close. Hinata jerked a bit and shifted her position away from Kiba very slightly, almost unnoticeable but not to Shino Aburame. He pretended he saw nothing though, easy for him as his sunglasses obscured every movement of his eyes. Sometimes he was glad to have chosen this kind of attire that concealed his expressions most of the time he couldn't maintain his expressionless figure, although sometimes it would be very impractical on certain missions involving water.<p>

The girl with pale eyes directed her inactivated Byakugan to the bug boy, but immediately her gaze was casted somewhere else again and her rosy cheeks grew redder. Nothing else but absolute shyness. Talking to people, even those who have been close to her for years was an everyday challenge for her. Yet people hardly involve her in a conversation, most too impatient of her extended pauses in between her words.

"G-Good morning Sh-Shino-kun…" her soft voice finally responded to Shino's greeting. Her lips curved forming a little shy smile, but enough to move the heart of the bug boy. To some boys like him, perhaps this was her charm, something that made her figure even more attractive.

"Hey, morning Shino!" His male teammate greeted happily with his trademark canine grin which exposed his blade-like fangs. "One more minute you didn't show up, you'd be late again!" A chuckle escaped following as he said playfully.

"Hn," Shino simply nodded without bothering giving any other response. "Where is Kurenai-sensei?" He asked after he realized that his female sensei's presence wasn't anywhere to be found. Most of the time she was earlier than Kiba and Shino.

"Ah, she said that there's a jonin meeting today," Kiba picked Akamaru up to his shoulders and turned around, motioning Shino and Hinata with his fingers to come with him. "So we'll train without her today, come on!" He was full of spirit as always, as energetic as Akamaru has always been.

They then headed to the center of the field which has three stumps standing on the ground, and build their own stances. Kiba and Akamaru started to run around and stretching their bodies to warm up for taijutsu practices, while Hinata activated her Byakugan and stared at a point in one of the stumps with full concentration. Quite unusual for Shino though, instead of summoning his insects, he just stay nailed there with his vision fixated on the branches of nerves that started to appear on Hinata's temple, not even realizing what he was observing as his mind was anywhere but in him.

Watching her training was almost like enjoying a piece of battle dance. Her movements shifted beautifully as a gentle stream, but strong as tidal waves as her palms collided with the stumps. A palm-sized crater on the stumps signed her powerful strikes, focused by the aid of Byakugan, a pair of beautiful white eyes inherited by the Hyuga Clan.

Her Byakugan had a shade of lavender which he couldn't take his gaze away from. They're beautiful, very unusual for a pair of eyes. Her gaze was soft, but somehow very deep and easy to get lost in it. He felt that he could spend his entire time just staring at them.

"Um, S-Shino-kun?"

The said boy bursted into his consciousness and jerked his head as if he was trying hard to rehearse what Hinata had said. He quickly realized that his mouth was slightly agape.

_Was I staring at her? _He thought a little bit panicked. What if she knew? Or worse, what if Kiba knew? Before he finished his thought, Kiba had already interrupted again.

"What are you doing there, Shino? Come on, let's have a match!" Kiba with Akamaru on his side charged at their full speed to Shino who was still standing there, rushingly called his insects from underneath his skin to protect him.

"Eat this new technique, Fang Over Fang!" The boy and his ninken partner spun at a ferocious speed towards Shino with a force that could drill through stone.

Just when their sharp claws almost made a contact with Shino's body, he dodged to the side and gathered all his kikaichu to the front of his palm.

"Not yet…!" As if they understood what their host's intention was, the bunch of kikaichu stormed towards Kiba and Akamaru to counter their attacks.

But the Inuzuka boy hasn't given up yet. He kept spinning and charging at Shino's direction while dodging the buzzing insects restlessly. Shino winced. His storming insects seemed to never hit Kiba due to his beastly speed, while his own body was tired from dodging.

Then suddenly he noticed an open spot at Kiba's left shoulder. In almost an instant motion he charged and commanded his insects to attack at the spot.

"Ouch!" Kiba merely dodged. Some of the insects had already hit him unavoidably. He smirked at his teammate. "Getting serious, aren't ya? Now take this!" He sent his fist flying to Shino, which the now focused bug boy evaded easily.

The insects started to swarm everywhere around Kiba to counter his attacks under Shino's command. But Kiba was still restless as ever. He and Akamaru swung their limbs around wildly to swat the insects and opening a path to launch yet another attack towards Shino.

The bug boy was preparing his jutsu to attack Kiba, sliding through the ground with his chakra when he turned to his right, only to find Hinata who has stopped her training and watched the two having a match.

_Her smile… Was she smiling at me?_

_No, focus Shino, you-_

"Arrgh…!" A blow on his left jaw sent him flying to the ground behind him.

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><p><strong>Aaah, poor Shino! O.o<br>Well, how do you like it? Please tell me your opinion! Constructive criticisms are welcome. ^_^**


	4. A New Mission

**Hello there my super-awesome readers! Again I'm so sorry for updating this late since school is still being evil as it have always been. Well, I hope you still have some interest in reading this story, because I promise the next chapter will come faster than this one as finals are coming to an end! Enjoy, and review please! :3**

**Disclaimer: I certainly do not own Naruto for several obvious reasons such as: first, I'm not Japanese and I can't speak the language. Two, I would definitely pair Shino with Hinata if I own Naruto.**

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"Oh no, oh no, oh no! What have I dooone?!"

Faintly he heard the sound of his teammate panicking. He felt something cool and soothing on his skin, swirling around his left jaw. As he gradually regained his consciousness, his eyes fluttered open to see a hand emitting light blue glow of healing chakra.

Hinata.

That was the time he felt his heart stopped beating. Right in front of his face was the view of a worried Hinata, trying to heal the wound on his jaw where he had been hit before. Heat rushed into his face as their eyes meet as his view was not obscured by a pair of dark lenses. Oh, how he wished Hinata hadn't took off his sunglasses…

_That was very stupid of you, Shino. _Shino thought to himself. Now what could Hinata possibly think of him for being so easily distracted? _Why things always getting in my way? Now would she think that I'm a weakling? Worse, incapable of protecting her?_

"Shino!" Kiba jumped right onto Shino's side right after he realized that Shino had woken up, making him jerked slightly out of shock.

"I'm sorry, bro! I didn't mean to hit you! I thought you'll dodge it!" Kiba panicked. Akamaru who was on his shoulders barked in a response. From the look of his face, he was clearly very guilty for hitting his teammate and best friend. Even though they shared quite a tight rivalry and disagreement about who was the rightful team leader, Shino was still his best friend and of course Kiba didn't want to hurt him.

It was not the first time they sparred. In fact, they would have a match to test each other's skills every now and then in their trainings. Thus, Kiba was more than familiar with Shino's reflexes and agility. That what made him fully aware of the fact that Shino would surely be able to dodge his hit, even if he used his power. What has gotten into him? Why didn't he dodge the hit?

"That's okay, Kiba. I wasn't careful…" Shino answered a little bit spacily. He pressed both of his palm to the ground and tried to get up, but that just made him groan out of pain. The left side of his face was still throbbing with pain, and spread to more parts of his body as the result of his attempt to get up even though the wound has been healed up thanks to Hinata's healing chakra.

"B-Be careful, Shino-kun!" Her arms reached to hold Shino's head to help him rest on the ground in reflex. Carefully she placed his head to lay on the grassy soil of the training field.

"L-Let me finish h-healing you first…" She placed both of her palms just above Shino's left cheek and soon the blue healing chakra started to envelop her hands. With now the healing power seeped into Shino's chakra flow, his pain was slowly washed away, leaving a small bruise on where he had been hit.

"Thank you, Hinata…" He said, almost whispering as soon as Hinata's chakra has been retreated back from her palms.

"Y-You're welcome… Are y-you feeling better…?" Her cheeks were in shades of rose again. The bug boy wondered what could possibly made her that shy every time she was around people, even when with her own closest friends, her teammates. _She does look cute when she's blushing though… _He thought quietly.

"Yes, I'm much better now. I think I can get up now…" Shino attempted to get up once again.

"Here, let me help ya!" Kiba offered his hand to help Shino get up from the ground. He was still feeling guilty from the accident. For a moment there was an awkward silence. The three of them looked at each other in turns. There were a grimacing Kiba, blushing Hinata who looked like she was about to say something but stayed silent, and the bug boy who finally able to stand properly.

"So… Ichiraku Ramen? I'll treat you both," Kiba finally broke the silence. "It's almost lunchtime I guess," he continued. He was right, the sun has already hung above their head, now mercilessly emitting the heat of summer. Plus, Shino realized that he hadn't eaten anything since earlier.

"Sounds good." Shino replied shortly.

**x-x-x**

"Thanks for the food!" Kiba exclaimed happily while lifting his chopsticks. His usual cheerfulness has returned as the bowl full of smoking hot miso ramen was now before his eyes. Hinata was also having a bowl of miso ramen, while Shino preferred vegetable ramen as a fan of green vegetables himself.

"Hn. Let's eat," Shino picked the noodles with his chopsticks in a generous amount rather hungrily. The soup and vegetables were very good as always expected from Ichiraku Ramen.

There were only three of them in the stall, but not long until a kunoichi clad in white bandage-like dress came in.

"Hi there!" The woman greeted, and sat in an empty chair next to Hinata. "Finished your training?"

"Oh, Kurenai-sensei! How was your meeting?" Kiba asked.

"As usual, just some mission evaluation," her smile suddenly disappeared, replaced by a slight frown as she noticed the bruise on Shino's face. "What happened to your face?"

"Um… There was a… Small accident during the training," Kiba laughed nervously and scratched his head as he answered in Shino's place.

"Oh… Just be careful next time, okay?" She nodded and smiled. "Anyway, you've been assigned in a C-ranked mission for tomorrow. Animal extermination, shouldn't be hard for you," She handed Shino the mission report.

"Great! At least not some more menial labor jobs like those D-rank missions…" Kiba cheered. He had always hated and tired of D-rank missions which only consisted of menial labor with no challenges at all. He still remembered Team 8's first mission which he was very eager to do before he realized what the mission was. Harvesting potatoes.

_Why would people hire ninjas to do that anyway? I mean like, come on, even common people can do that! _He thought as the memory of their first mission came into his head. Although he still thought that animal extermination was not even a challenging mission, he was still quite excited as he finally could use some jutsu and combat skills.

"Um… K-Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata's soft voice called.

"Yes, Hinata?" Kurenai asked. Her lips curved into a gentle smile.

"W-When will we begin t-this mission?"

"Tomorrow, at night. You can read that report I handed to Shino earlier, that should provide every details you should know." The jonin stood up, preparing to leave the shop.

"I have something else to do for now… Meet me at the village gate tomorrow at five in the afternoon, okay?" She waved her team of trainees goodbye and exited Ichiraku Ramen.

"Alright, Kurenai-sensei! Bye!" Kiba exclaimed.

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**Alright… That's all for chapter four. Next update will come faster than the last one, I promise. If I didn't keep my promise you have my permission to throw peanuts at me. :p**

**Some surprises awaits in the mission ahead! I hope you readers still enjoy reading this story **


	5. The Beginning of the Unknown

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the plot… and the loveletter.  
>AN: This mission is not taken from the manga/anime, purely my idea (+ some ideas and suggestions from my awesome fellow author Golden Mist Fox) and also the settings and locations were all made up sooo… Well, I hope you enjoy it. Happy reading! ****  
>Special thanks to Golden Mist Fox, Veraozao, and LovelyRosesFly for reviewing the latest chapter!<strong>

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**Chapter 5: The Beginning of the Unknown**

"Why are we going at night again?" Kiba shifted around excitedly, he was practically causing dizziness to both of his teammates. In contrary, Akamaru was resting comfortably on his master's shoulders, seemingly undisturbed by his human companion's constant change of position. With his stomach full of dog food Kiba had just given to him at home, the snow-furred canine was content enough to sit around lazily on Kiba's shoulders.

"Read the paper, Kiba…" Shino sighed. He was really the polar opposite of his dog-lover teammate who was trying to claim the leadership of the group every now and then. From his backpack Shino pulled out a thin black folder containing the team's papers of recent missions.

Kiba grabbed the folder and pulled out their latest mission document. As they were still early, Kiba still have plenty of time reading it while walking slowly.

"Mission: Animal Extermination," he read the text out loud.

"Rank: C. Details… Hmm… There have been reports from the residents of Kikori Village of a tiger which recently causing terrors to the villagers. According to the people, the tiger only makes its appearance when the sun has gone down. Nobody has ever seen a clear view of this tiger's whole appearance, but it is safe to assume that the tiger has a wound on its face as a result of a blow dealt by one of the villagers using a shovel during one of its attacks…" Kiba skimmed through the report and returned it back into Shino's folder.

"Done?" Shino asked while receiving the file, and then he returned it into his backpack.

"Okaaay… So basically we just have to search and kill this wounded tiger, right? Bah, not even a challenge!" Kiba exclaimed.

"L-Look, that's K-Kurenai-sensei…" Hinata pointed to their front as they reached the main gate. There the team spotted their sensei waving at them. She was standing at the side of the gate, near one of the two ninjas in flak jackets assigned to guard the gate that afternoon. A dark red backpack was on one of her shoulders.

"Afternoon, sensei!" Kiba greeted happily.

"Good afternoon! Are you guys ready for the mission?" Kurenai smiled. She ran her fingers through her hair and tucked her long and wavy bangs to her ears.

"Of course we are! Now where's this Kikori Village?" he asked excitedly. Akamaru barked along his master's excitement as usual.

"One hour to the south of Konoha. It's located deep in the woods, thus it was named Kikori Village because most of the people are lumberjacks," The jonin kunoichi explained. "Have you all brought your equipment? Don't forget to check before it's too late!"

"Yes, Kurenai-sensei!" The team answered in unison and proceeded to check their belongings.

"Alright then. Come on, let's get going!" She continued after they made sure all of their equipment is ready.

**xXx**

One hour of journey felt like an eternity for the team. The sylvan growth around them looked monotonous. The only distinct sight was a massive weeping willow tree they passed in the middle of the forest. The forest was also really quiet, besides some occasional sounds of harmless animals. A small and hungry snake was the sole threat they faced along the journey. Perhaps it's because many people often ventured into this area of the forest, whether it was for logging or just travelling. Other than that, there was only a narrow path where they were tracing to the village and green and thick wall of lazy trees with lianas clinging to their branches surrounding them.

"Wow… Look at how big that is!" Kiba eyed the old weeping willow fascinatedly when they come across it. "I bet we can make some sort of secret tree house on it! Right, Akamaru?" The rest of them responded by rolling their eyes at Kiba childishness.

But the usual cheerful bark from Akamaru was never heard. The snow-furred puppy just stared into the old tree, fear swirling in his eyes.

"Eh? What's wrong, Akamaru?" Kiba turned to the direction Akamaru was staring into. Nothing. Everybody then turned to their sensei who shook her head.

"I don't sense anything weird either," she frowned.

"Uh… Maybe he's just tired?" Kiba said unsurely, stroking his beloved pet gently, who in turn kept shivering and pressed his body to his master's shoulder harder.

"Well, we better get going then!" Kurenai said. The group left to continue their journey to Kikori Village. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of glowing yellow orbs eyed them from a distance, watching them left.

**xXx**

"L-Look! There's t-the village…" Hinata exclaimed, her index finger pointing to the north. Not far from where they were standing, rows of wooden huts stood in a quite orderly line. Sun was already setting; its face had begun to sink in the western horizon while shining its last gold rays. Light grey smoke floating above the chimneys, indicating cooking activities in the hearth. Many men were seen lighting torches and oil lamps in front of their doors, cautiously checking left and right to make sure their surroundings were safe. The other men who have just returned from their works were just as vigilant. They carried their shovels and axes readily, as if expecting someone – or something – ambushing them.

Several heads turned towards the group of ninjas as soon as they stepped their feet onto the settlement ground. One of the villagers which appeared to be a lumberjack approached them.

"Evening! I'm Takeru. Are you from Konoha Village?" the middle-aged man asked. He was clad in brown rough cotton shirt and slightly darker pants. Wrapped around his feet was a pair of straw sandals, just like everybody else in the village wore.

"Yes we are. I am Kurenai Yuhi, may I see the chief?" Kurenai answered. Behind her were her three students glancing curiously at the huts and people around them.

"Aye, of course. He's expecting you. Right here, please," The man then proceeded to direct them further to the north, passing more rows of huts. Occasionally, their sights were greeted by several plowed rice fields which has turned yellow, signaling that reaping season is due. Near the middle of the village was a large sturdy building appeared to be a storage room. From the small windows, piles of uncut logs were visible. In front of the storage building was several wooden tables with axes on them and stones to sharpen them.

Sensing the teenagers' curiosity, Takeru explained. "That's where we lumberjacks store our wood. We'll usually cut it to be firewood, craft them to be furniture for sale, or just ship the logs to big villages such as yours. They usually order large amount of logs for buildings," he said, pointing to the storage hut.

"Amazing! So this is where those logs shipment I saw at the gates came from!" Kiba responded.

**xXx**

A few steps later from the storage building, Takeru and the ninjas arrived at the largest hut in the village – the chief's residence. The wooden hut was visibly older than most of the other huts. Some parts of the building were blackened as the effect of prolonged exposure to the sun and rain, but at the same time it made the building looked stronger, giving off a strong aura of authority.

Kurenai and her genins then entered to see the chief, while Takeru waited outside as ordered. They were directed into the living room, where and elderly man and woman were sitting on tatamis by the fireplace.

"Ah, welcome to my humble residence, shinobis from Konoha. Please, have a seat," The elderly man which appeared to be the chief greeted warmly and pointed to the empty tatamis lying in front of him.

"My name is Masato Mori, and this my wife, Aoi. I am the chief of this village. It's a pleasure to meet all of you, and as the chief, I personally welcome you to my village," he continued as all of them had already seated.

"A pleasure to meet you too. I am Kurenai Yuhi, and these are my students Shino, Kiba, and Hinata," Kurenai responded by pointing each of them respectively, in which the students bowed slightly as their names are called. "We are directed to meet the chief first to receive orders before proceeding." She continued.

"I assume you're already aware of the tiger problem that has been bothering this village recently…" The chief sighed. A weary expression suddenly surfaced in his wizened face. "It has been a week since the first attack and four grown men have fallen prey to this boisterous tiger. None of us would dare going out at night again without fear of being preyed upon. Many of our experienced men have been sent to kill it, only to return with nothing but injuries. We're not capable of handling this tiger alone. Exterminate it, and we will forever be in your debt,"

The elder paused. He rose from his seat and wandered to the nearest window on his left. His eyes gazing distantly to the torch-lit roads visible from his standing spot.

"This tiger is very strange indeed. My people never had any trouble with wild animals before…" he turned to face them again. "This beast only showed up after sunset and in near-complete darkness also. That's why we have to be more generous in our oil spending for torches and lanterns. But still, we can't ensure our safety that way. In the last attack, the tiger manage to break into one house, wounding a young man. Fortunately, it ran off as a shovel slashed it in the face before someone ended up its dinner…"

"What a beast…" Kiba half-whispered to Shino who sat next to him. "So… All we have to do is to wait for it to show up and kill it, right?" he continued, this time addressing the chief while trying his best not to show a bored face.

"Yes, and you're welcome to take your time and build your own strategy," Chief Mori smiled. He returned to his seat. "Well, it's already dusk. If you have no more questions, you may begin now," he dismissed them warmly, stagnant on his seat while watching them leave.

**xXx**

**Alright, I've just successfully broken my promise! I sincerely apologize for the very late update, massive writers block here and turned out I was still very busy even after finals. You have my permission to throw me peanuts! :'(**

**Oh, and sorry I kind of accidentally making the chief too talkative, but I hope you can still enjoy it. XD**


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